


Ad Infinitum

by myWorks



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Mad Science, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Pining, Sexual Content, Vigilantism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-10-03 23:14:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17293226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myWorks/pseuds/myWorks
Summary: When Scott McCall finally appears in Beacon Hills after three years of being presumed dead, he brings with him a host of mysteries.  With every question Scott and his team answer, three more seem to pop up.  With the stakes increasing by the minute, how will they manage to free Scott from the chains of the past three years?





	1. Chapter 1

A quick chime rings through the house, alerting Melissa McCall to the fact that her turkey is done cooking.  Although she can smell the combination of food from her living room, she is still stunned by how incredible the kitchen smells. There's a hint of sweetness emanating from the peppermint-scented candles she had bought for half-off and the scent of rice and tamales brings Melissa back to her own childhood.  She searches a few seconds for the oven mitts she could have sworn she put on the hook next to the oven and instead finds them on the island.  To herself, Melissa hums a tune her grandmother once sang whenever they had big family gatherings and the noise just barely keeps her from hearing the TV in the next room.

She places the turkey on the counter next to the stove and looks at the meal she's made and immediately realizes just how much she has cooked. There's enough rice to last her for a week, easily, and the turkey, while small, will probably last a week as well.  Her original intent was to make a small Christmas meal, but at some point, she must have lost track.  She sighs and is in the middle of trying to figure out what she'll do with the leftovers she can't eat when the doorbell rings.

Melissa's heart skips a beat, like it always does when the doorbell rings.  After three long years, she knows it won't be her son, but her maternal instinct always makes her hope against reason.  She takes a deep breath, bringing herself down to reality.   _It's not Scott_ , she tells herself as she makes her way to the door.  She repeats the mantra to herself like she has been for two years now, ever since it started being too painful to believe her son had returned.  Despite her thoughts, Melissa's heart is pounding with anticipation and she finds it impossible to fully silence the voice in the back of her head praying for Scott to be behind the door.

It's not Scott and Melissa quickly removes any hint of disappointment from her face.  Across the threshold, Allison has a sheepish smile while behind her, Derek is balancing two stacked dishes on one hand and holding a bottle of champagne in the other.  Melissa and Allison embrace each other and Derek smiles in greeting when his eyes meet Melissa's.

"I hope we're not intruding," Allison says as Melissa welcomes the two of them into her home.  "We figured you'd enjoy some company for Christmas."  Melissa can't help but smile at the thought.  She's used to Scott's teammates randomly dropping by, just to check on her.  It's almost like a piece of Scott himself is coming by, and Melissa is sure the feeling is mutual.

"You know you guys are always welcome.  Although you're going to have to take some food with you. I ended up making way more than I know what to do with."  Melissa says as she leads the younger couple into the kitchen.  Once Derek places his items on the island, he gives Melissa a proper hug. 

"Well, I don't think that will be a problem."  Allison says with a coy smile. As if on cue, the doorbell rings again.  Melissa gives Allison a playfully suspicious smile before making her way back to the front door.  This time it's Liam and Mason, holding two store-bought pumpkin pies and a bag of two-liters respectively.  

"Merry Christmas Mrs. M!"  Liam says, beaming.  Melissa snorts as she hugs both of the boys.

"Seriously you guys?"  Allison asks from behind Melissa.  Liam follows her line of sight to the pies in his hands and he shrugs.

"Allison, you know we can't cook."  Mason laughs, and the rest of the room laughs along with him.  Melissa moves aside to let the boys in and she catches another car pulling into her driveway.  She recognizes the sleek white car and holds the door open while Boyd and Erica exit the vehicle, holding a pot and a bottle of liquor respectively.  Melissa hugs the both of them and the smell coming from Boyd's pot is heavenly.  

"Boyd, please tell me that is macaroni and cheese," Melissa says, breathing in the scent.  A shy smile spreads across Boyd's face. 

"It's a family recipe. This is the closest I've ever come to getting it right."  

"It smells amazing, sweetie."

"Thank you, Mrs. McCall."  As the two of them make their way into the kitchen, the roaring of a motorcycle causes that rebellious spirit of hope to send Melissa's heart into a flutter.  She recognizes the sound as Scott's bike, but she knows who's actually riding it.  She had given it to Malia after seeing it every day became too much.  Sure enough, Melissa watches as the bike pulls up behind Mason's car.  As she gets off the motorcycle, Malia balances two Styrofoam take-out containers and a gallon of store-bought lemonade. 

"Hey Mrs. M, merry Christmas."  Malia says through her helmet, which she hasn't taken off.  

"Hey hon, nice to see you." Melissa reaches out to take the food and drink from Malia, who releases them so that she can remove her helmet.  Her hair is cut short, much to Melissa's surprise.

"Oh wow, Malia your hair looks amazing!"  She exclaims, causing a small smile to appear on Malia's face. The younger woman twirls a few strands a bit before answering.

"Thanks.  It was getting to be a bit much, so..." Malia leaves her sentence hanging as she follows Melissa further into the house and shuts the door.  The television is basically silent, its noise lost among the various conversations taking place.  As Malia takes back the items she bought, Melissa stops to take in the view of her guests all standing around in the kitchen.  Dozens of things come to mind for her to say, but Melissa can't say most of them without sounding like a sap.   

"Now listen you lot, you're taking all this food with you when you leave," She says with a smile. There's a chorus of chuckles and Melissa watches as Mason and Liam already start plotting out what they intend on taking home.  She watches the heroes in her kitchen for a few minutes longer before she notices that no one has started eating.  She sighs inwardly, knowing they're waiting for her to make her plate first.  She considers telling them to pig out, but she knows none of them will even consider touching a dish until she does and the thought nearly brings a tear to Melissa's eye.  Liam is about as subtle as an ambulance as he watches Melissa open the cabinet where the plates are and starts piling food on.  

After that, the kitchen explodes into activity, with no real sense of direction.  The sound of multiple conversations building on each other fills the kitchen and continues to build, even as the people holding those conversations make their way to the living room.  There's not nearly enough space for eight full-grown adults, but they make do.  Somehow, Melissa is the last to leave the kitchen, but when she gets to the living room, the recliner is empty.  

She takes her place in the living room and simply soaks in the atmosphere.  None of them are her children, but in a way they are and while it doesn't fill the void left behind by Scott, it helps.  Before she knows it, she's drawn in a rowdy discussion of who's the best-looking Hollywood Chris and her lack of answer exasperates much of the room.

"Come on, Mrs. M, don't dodge the question!"  Mason says before taking a drink out of his cup.  

"Speaking of dodging questions, Mr. Mason," Melissa says in her perfect mom voice.  "How old are you again?  And what's in that cup?"  The rest of the room bursts into laughter as Mason's cheeks darken.

"Hey, I'm legal! I turned 21 two months ago!"  Mason exclaims in mock defensiveness, adding to the laughter.  

"And you're going to be staying over tonight, yes?"  Melissa asks.

"Don't worry Mrs. M, I'm the DD."  Liam exclaims. Derek snorts.

"So yeah, he's definitely staying over." He says into his drink.  Now it's Liam who turns red as everyone continues laughing.

"Come on, it was  _one_ accident and it wasn't even my fault." Liam whines.  Mason laughs and nudges him slightly and Liam nudges him back.  

"Alright, well I'm glad that you two are being responsible.  Cheers!" Melissa says, holding up her glass of wine.  A chorus of cheers erupts as everyone holds up their drinks and takes a sip.  There's a small lapse in the conversation when Titanic comes on.

"Really guys?  None of you have seen Titanic?"  Melissa says incredulously. 

"I have."  Allison says defensively.  Melissa shakes her head in disbelief.

"Incredible.  Alright, no talking.  Everyone watch and enjoy."  Despite Melissa's instructions, minor conversations break out.  In the end, everyone agrees that there was plenty of room for Jack on the lifeboat, although not everyone agrees on whether or not the movie deserves its place as one of the most enduring movies of all time.  

"You kids just don't understand what a quality movie looks like," Melissa snarks.  Everyone snarks in return and Melissa only responds with playful glares and throwing a pillow at Malia.

It's nearing 1 o'clock in the morning as Christmas begins dying down.  Despite his insistence that he was going to drive, Liam had been goaded into a shot contest with Malia and is now passed out on the couch with Mason passed out on top of him and Malia on top of Mason.  Erica and Boyd are helping Melissa clean up the kitchen while Derek divides the leftovers equally among everyone on the team.  

"Alright, guest room is ready, let's go boys."  Allison says as she grabs Mason and Liam and forces them up.  Both boys groan in protest as Allison walks them into the guest room.  Malia yawns and then proceeds to get comfortable on the couch.  

"Thank you guys, so much.  This was wonderful."  Melissa says to Allison and Derek as the three of them hug.  Melissa turns to Boyd and Erica and hugs on them too.

"Thanks for having us.  I'm sorry again for springing it on you.  It started as a hypothetical and before I knew it, it became a giant thing."  Allison laughs.  Melissa laughs too.

"It was no problem.  It definitely beat watching Netflix by myself."  Melissa says.  She's silent for a few seconds.  "I love you all so much."  She says finally.  Allison looks as if she's about to cry and instead wraps her arms around Melissa again.

"We love you too, Melissa."  She says.  The two stay embraced for a few more moments before breaking up.  The other three members of the team are saying their good-byes when the doorbell rings again.  Suddenly, the atmosphere in the house changes completely.  There's a tense silence.  Derek lifts his nose in the air and takes a few whiffs.  Nearby, Malia begins to stir.  

"Guys, I'm sure it's nothing." Melissa says, although she's unsure.  She doesn't know anyone who would be up at this time of the night, let alone at her door at one in the morning.

"Deaton?"  Allison asks, but Derek shakes his head.  His eyes are narrowed.

"What's going on?"  Malia asks groggily as she stands up.  No one answers her.  Melissa takes a deep breath and begins walking towards the door.

"Melissa, wait!  It's not-"

"It's okay, Allison.  If something goes wrong, I have you all here."  Melissa says.  Perhaps it's the alcohol.  Or maybe it's that small bit of hope that refuses to die, despite all logic.  Melissa doesn't know, but she knows she needs to answer that door.  She marches forward and is not unaware of Allison pulling a knife from a place Melissa can't pinpoint.  She's not unaware of Derek and Malia and Erica and Boyd taking defensive positions around her.  Her heart is pounding in her ears.

Slowly, she unlocks the door and opens it.  She's met with the back of a young man.  Her heart threatens to leap out of her chest.  She can't see his face, but she knows who it is.  Every cell in her body reacts with a surge of emotions she couldn't possibly begin to start describing.  When her son turns to face her, the world seems to stop.

"Mom?"  Scott says softly.  He's thin - unhealthily skinny.  The bags under his eyes hint at a disturbing lack of sleep and the only thing keeping his hair from passing his shoulders is its natural curliness.  His cheeks are sunken in and his body language screams exhaustion.  He looks almost nothing like the young man who had disappeared three years ago.  His face refuses to match any of the pictures of him scattered around Melissa's house.  But it's him.

"Scott," Melissa's voice breaks. Her entire body is trembling as she and Scott look into each other's eyes.  Scott surges forward and wraps his arms around her just as her knees give out.  She erupts into sobs and Scott is no more coherent.  The two of them are crying into each other's shoulders and Melissa is struggling to get her body under her control.

"How-? Where-? Oh Scott.  My Scotty," Melissa cries.  Scott sniffles and is clearly doing better at controlling his emotions but not by much.  Melissa has completely forgotten about her guests until Derek speaks up.

"Scott..." he gasps.  Scott steadies his mother before making eye contact with Derek.  Before either of them can move, Liam's voice shouts across the house.

"Scott!"  He exclaims.  No one is ready for him sprinting forward and all but tackling Scott.  Amazingly, the older boy remains standing.  Even more startling, the full force of Liam crashing into him seems to not affect Scott in the slightest.

"You're alive!  I can't bel-I knew-You're back, Scott!"  Liam exclaims, crying himself.  Scott wraps his arms around his former protege, a soft smile on the older boy's lips.

"Hey buddy, I'm here."

"Are you...real?  This isn't a dream, is it?" Liam asks, his eyes wide as if he's refusing to blink.  As if he's afraid that if he blinks, Scott will disappear.  Scott holds Liam at arms length.

"It's real, Liam.  I'm here."  Scott says soothingly.  Scott is suddenly aware of the eyes of his entire team on him.  Melissa is leaning on the wall, struggling to regain at least some of her composure.

"Scott," Derek begins.  "Where have you been?"


	2. Chapter 2

After everyone has somewhat calmed down, the entire party makes their way back into the kitchen and Scott sits while the rest stand. Scott is about to speak when he notices the Christmas feast not quite put up.  His eyes widen and he looks from his mom to Derek and back to his mom.

“Can I…?” He asks.  Melissa is confused for a second before she realizes he is talking about the food.

“Oh, of course Scott, yes, please.  You look like you haven’t eaten in…a while.”  She says.  Without further hesitation Scott grabs one of the leftover plates Derek made and begins eating.  He eats so fast and so desperately, it’s almost nauseating and undeniably heartbreaking.  He slows to a stop when he notices everyone staring at him with concern in their eyes.  Scott’s eyes go to his hand, which he was about to use to shovel macaroni and cheese into his mouth.  Silently, Liam disappears and reappears with a spoon.

“Here you go, bro.”  Liam says, concerned but respectful.  Scott grabs the spoon with his clean hand and looks down, clearly ashamed.

“Sorry, it’s…been a while.”  He says almost too quietly to hear.  A gasp escapes from Melissa’s mouth.  There’s a long silence.

“Scott…where have you been this whole time?”  Derek asks.  Scott looks Derek in the face and then pokes at his food with the spoon, putting small bits into his mouth.  He takes a deep breath before speaking.

“Before I begin, there are some things I can’t tell you.” He admits.

“What?” Derek demands, clearly agitated.  He stops himself and takes a calming breath and it’s Allison who speaks next.

“What do you mean, Scott?  Why can’t you tell us?”  She asks, her voice calmer than she expects it to be.  Scott sighs again.

“I don’t know.  They did something to me.  There are certain words and phrases I can’t say without,” he pauses for a second.  “There’s just some things I physically cannot say.”  Allison pales but nods wordlessly.  The thought that someone could do something like that is horrifying and the room is silent with the knowledge that the possibility exists.

“Who’s they?” Derek asks impatiently.  Scott gives him a sad look.

“Alright,” Melissa says in a shaky voice.  “Just do what you can, Scott.”  Scott gives him a soft smile.  He looks at the half-empty plate and then at his audience.

“Um, can I…finish this first?”  He asks.  There are positive murmurs and Scott finishes the plate quickly, although not with as much desperation as before.

“Okay, um” Scott begins.  His eyes move from side to side as he looks for where to start.  He looks up at Allison before he begins.

“You remember the fight against Douglas?”  He asks.  Allison nods, as do the rest of the team.

“He, uh, dropped a building on you.  We didn’t-“ Liam begins apologetically, but Scott shakes his head and smiles at him.

“We looked for you for a week straight,” Malia protests.

“I don’t know when they took me.  I remember the building collapsing and then I woke up in a lab on an operating table with them standing over me and a splitting migraine.”  Scott doesn’t seem to be aware of himself grabbing another plate.  His eyes are staring at nothing as he recounts his tale.

“When I woke up, I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. I just sat there for a couple minutes until I guess they noticed I was awake.  They didn’t talk.  They just knocked me out again. When I woke back up, I was in a jail cell.  I was left there for a while, I don’t know how long.  There weren’t any windows, but by the time someone came by, I was starving.  Literally.  It was a kid who bought me some food. I didn’t know it, but I found out later his name was-“ Scott stops abruptly and looks as if he’s about to choke.  Everyone jumps forward to help him, but he holds up his hands.  No one moves for a moment until Scott breathes. 

“Sorry,” he says.  “I got too wrapped up in the story.  But, he told me who he was, but that he didn’t really know who the-“ another hard pause.  “The people were.”

“Okay, that word!”  Allison says excitedly and Scott looks up at her.  “If we guess the word you’re saying, can you tell us if you’re right?”  Scott cocks his head to the side.

“I…I don’t know.  I never tried it.”  He responds, his voice somewhat hopeful.  Allison grins.

“Okay, so you said you were on an operating table, right?”  She asks.  Scott nods slowly, unsure if he will be able to play Allison’s game.

“Alright, so they were probably doctors?”  She asks.  Again, Scott nods slowly and then quickly when he realizes he can nod.

“Yeah, do-“ Scott gets out before he puts his hands over his mouth.  His eyes are wide as he stands up and quickly exits the kitchen.  The team follows him as Scott briskly goes to bathroom and closes the door.  There’s the sound of him spitting, followed by the sink turning on.

“Scott?”  Melissa asks, placing a hand on the not fully shut door.  She gives it a small push, revealing Scott standing over a sink splattered with blood.  He looks at his mom, but doesn’t meet her eyes.

“It’s what happens when I try to force a word I can’t say.”  He admits sadly.  There’s a bit of red on his chin and Scott uses his shirt to wipe it off.  “Can we go back to the kitchen?  Please.”  Scott asks. There’s a hint of red in his cheeks.

“Of course, Scott.  Come on.”  Melissa says, ushering her son out of the bathroom.  Everyone follows them back into kitchen, where Scott sits back at his spot.  He looks at the food he was eating and pushes the plate away.  There’s no blood on the food, but his appetite is gone all the same.

“After that, it was a rotating group of people who would come to bring me food.  Different people, all about-“ Scott stops again and frowns.  He shakes his head but Liam speaks up.

“All about what?  Your height?  Weight?  Age?”  Liam is about to throw out another guess when Scott furiously nods at the third guess.  Liam proudly smirks at himself, causing Scott to grin.

“Yeah, that.  They didn’t feed us on a regular schedule, but it was always a few days at least I think.  Finally, one of the- one of them bought me some food trays and let me out of the cage.  It was my turn to bring food.  They didn’t give me a map, so I had to figure out my way around the facility.  They made me do it until I had the place pretty much mapped out.”  Scott stops talking after this.

“Scott?” Erica says softly.  His expression turns hard and then soft again.

“That’s when everything changed.”  Scott’s expression changes again.  There’s a fury in his eyes, one that neither Melissa nor anyone else in the room has ever seen from him.

“The things they did to us.  The things they made us do…” Scott says, his tone darkening.  He’s all but glaring a hole into the table and around him, the team begins to feel a strange sensation in the base of their skulls.

“Scott?”  Boyd asks cautiously.  He can feel his blood boiling and his temper flaring.  He wants to hit something.  Someone. He knows it’s not right, that he would never hurt anyone here. But he can’t help his anger.  Scott gasps and just like that, the anger is gone.

“Whoa, what was that?” Mason asks.  He’s literally shaking, although whether it’s from rage or fear, he can’t say.  Scott is silent for a moment.

“The experiments they did.  It gave me these…powers, I guess.  I can, influence people around me.  Make them stronger.  And get stronger in return.  It’s like a giant feedback loop.  I’m sorry, I lost control.  That’s not normal.”

“So your powers, your empathetic healing.  They-“

“They twisted it.  Made it into a weapon.”  Scott says, interrupting Derek.  Scott is clearly still seething, although he seems to have gotten his powers under control.

“Oh Scott,” Melissa breathes.  She wraps her arms around him and Scott breaks down, his anger dissolving into tears again.  The rest of his team can only watch as the McCalls try to get their emotions under control.

“I, um, they sent us out.  Made us do things.  I can’t tell you what.  They drugged us.  I can just barely remember.” Scott says through shaky breaths.  He looks pleadingly at Derek.  “I hurt people.”  He sobs.  The implication is clear that Scott did a lot more than hurt people, but Derek isn’t cruel enough to ask the obvious question.

“Did they let you go?”  Mason asks.  Scott shakes his head.

“I broke out.  I’ve been on the run for the past year now.  As far as I can tell, I lost them in Mexico.  But they always find me.”  With that, Scott stands up and takes his mom into his arms.

“Scott?”  She asks softly, knowing what’s about to happen.  There are tears in Scott’s eyes.

“I can’t stay here, Mom.  I just- I had to let you know.  I didn’t want you to worry anymore.  I wanted you to know I’m okay.”  Scott says into his mom’s hair.  She’s sobbing into his shoulder as he speaks.

“Please don’t go, Scott.”  She begs as he untangles himself from her.“I have to.  I shouldn’t have even come here but-“ Scott looks at his mom and can’t continue with what he was saying.  There’s a long pause before Scott starts walking towards the front door.  He turns back and gives a smile that instantly brings everyone to a happier time.

“I love you guys.”  Scott says and Melissa can’t help but feel a sense of finality in her son’s words.  And then, he’s out the front door.  For a second, no one moves.  And then, Liam is surging towards the door.  He nearly rips the door from its hinges as he opens it.  But Scott is nowhere to be seen.

-

“Look man, I swear, I don’t know anything.  Please!”  Cries Dr. Jeremiah Winkle as the mysterious figure approaches him, aluminum bat in hand.  They are in an alleyway, right outside of a pharmaceutical arm of Hale Tech Inc.  On the ground next to him are four Hale Tech security guards in various stages of pain and consciousness.

“See, I don’t think that’s entirely true, Doc.” The figure says.  He is wearing a silver oni mask and his voice is deep and raspy, but there’s another face beneath it, as if he’s speaking through a faulty voice modulator.

“P-please, don’t kill me.” Dr. Winkle sputters as he falls down and quickly begins crawling backwards.  The figure continues his approach, slowly, as if he’s enjoying the doctor’s anguish.

“Kill you?  No, I wouldn’t do that.  You can’t squeal on Peter if I kill you.  But, I will hurt you.  A lot.”  The masked man says.  The doctor is whimpering when the figure quickly spins around and bats away an arrow.

“Hey, drop the bat!”  A female voice commands.  Both the figure and the doctor turn to see a woman clad in black and silver armor and armed with a crossbow.  Her dark hair is tied in a high ponytail and her eyes are covered in a pair of high-tech goggles.  Her mouth is covered by a mask that causes the sound of her breathing to echo throughout the alleyway and she is hanging onto a wall thanks to the suction cups on her fingertips.  The doctor begins to scramble away, hoping the distraction will grant him safe passage.

“Nuh-uh, doc, you stay right there.”  The masked man says, looking over his shoulder.  The doctor finds himself paralyzed by fear as the man turns back to the masked woman.

“Look, I’m kind of busy right now.”  The masked man says to the masked woman.

-

Allison, or Argent as she’s known in her mask, regards the masked man carefully.  No normal person would have been able to even notice her presence, let alone be able to deflect her arrow without any discernible effort.

“I don’t know who you are, but this is my city and here, we don’t threaten innocent people with baseball bats.”  Argent declares and the masked man scoffs.

“He works for Peter Hale.  He’s far from innocent.”  Allison says nothing for a moment.

“It’s not that simple.  Peter has dirt on everyone.  You can’t just assault everyone who works for him.”  She responds, earning her another laugh.

“Maybe.  But, I’m pretty sure if I knock hard and long enough, Peter will slither out of whatever hole he’s hiding in.  Tiddlywinks here is just the first.”  The masked man responds.  Allison raises her crossbow.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“I’d like to see you stop me.”  The two masked figures stare each other down before the man turns around, just as Liam slams into him.  The masked man should have been down for the count, but to Allison’s shock, Liam is sent flying into the wall by Dr. Winkle.

-

Stiles stifles a groan as he slowly stands up.  He isn’t quite sure who, or what, hit him.  But he knows it hurt, which is saying a lot considering the enhanced durability and vastly increased pain tolerance Stiles gains when he puts on the Nogitsune’s mask.  He glances up to see the person who hit him stand up.

The guy is a bit shorter than Stiles and clad in gold and silver armor.  He wears a mask that covers his entire face, but leaves his spiky brown hair uncovered.

“Oh shit, that usually works.”  From the sound of his voice, Stiles reasons the guy can’t be too much younger than himself.  He senses danger behind him and turns just in time to block two arrows with his arm, his bat having rolled away after he got tackled.

“Seriously?  What are you guys part of some team or something?”  Stiles groans.  To his surprise, it’s his voice that comes out.  The girl on the wall is clearly surprised by the change in his tone and Stiles growls.  He’s losing control and he knows his options now are either to call on more of the Nogistune’s power and risk losing himself or to make a tactical retreat.  He’s about to sprint out of the alley when a third masked figure appears, blocking his exit.

“Fucking dammit.”  Stiles says, realizing that he’s outnumbered and out of time.


	3. Chapter 3

“Fantastic, there’s a whole team of you guys, huh?”  Stiles says, referencing the intimidating figure standing before him, clad in black and gold armor and a helmet styled after a wolf.  Behind him, the girl with the crossbow and the superhuman boy box Stiles in.  He feels the pull of the Nogitsune, deep within his soul and assesses his options.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you’ve come here when you did?  What’s your business with Hale Tech?”  The figure in front of Stiles demands in a gruff voice.

“Well, I was trying to get my phone replaced, but Hale Tech’s customer service is awful.  Bad customer service can really mess with a guy, you know?  But I’ve learned my lesson, so if you’ll just let me go, I promise not to threaten anymore labcoats with baseball bats.” Stiles quips, because sarcasm is always his go-to when he’d rather avoid a fight.  It rarely works, but it makes him feel better.  He hears one of the individuals behind him snicker and Stiles grins behind his mask.

“I have a feeling you’ll just find something else to threaten them with.”  The man in front of him responds.

“What?  Me?  Of course not, I’m truly a changed man.”  There’s a short pause and the man in front of Stiles steps forward.

“Yeah, not buying it.”  The man says reaching forward.  Stiles sees his chance and summons a surge of the Nogitsune’s power.  Everything he sees fades to gray and Stiles grabs the man’s arm and flings the man behind him. He then sprints out of the alley, ignoring the two arrows that are embedded in his back.  He sprints a couple yards and then leaps upwards, soaring up several stories and onto the roof of a shop.  Stiles turns behind him to see the two males quickly closing in.

“Of course they can keep up.”  Stiles sighs out loud, his gruff Nogitsune voice coming out.  He sprints across a few more rooftops and then drops into a nearby alley.  He looks around and, satisfied that no one can see him, Stiles takes a deep breath and access even more of the Nogitsune’s power.  It’s dangerous, drawing on this much, but at this point the pros outweigh the cons.  When Stiles opens his eyes, everything is the same shade of gray.  He lets out the breath he was holding and then takes another deep breath.  He then takes a step through the wall.  When he finally enters a room, Stiles instantly releases the Nogitsune’s hold on him, gasping and collapsing on the ground as color bleeds back into his vision.  He barely avoids vomiting before standing up.

He’s in some sort of art store, going by the various cups and clay sculptures around him.  There are also two large ovens in the room with him.  As Stiles collects his bearings, he hears footsteps coming towards him.  He groans as he transforms his clothes from the Nogitsune’s rags into his normal street clothes, a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt.

“Um, hello?  Students aren’t supposed to be back here.”  A tall, thin man says.  Stiles meets eyes with the man as he stands up.

“Oh, um, sorry.  I have really bad anxiety and I just had to get away.  I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”  Stiles responds with a pain smile.  The man relaxes and steps to the side, allowing Stiles a way out.

“Thank you, sir.” Stiles says as he exits the room and, eventually, the store.

-

“Dammit, he’s gone!”  Liam growls, slamming his fist into a wall.  Derek is equally upset, but he knows showing Liam will just set the younger male off more, so he takes a calming breath.

“It’s alright, Liam.  He’ll pop up again.”  Derek says, just as his communicator cuts on.

“ _Any luck?”_ Allison asks.

“No, he got away.  And he was suppressing his scent somehow.  I can’t track him.”  Derek responds.  There’s silence on Allison’s end.

“Alright, I’ll keep an ear out then.”  She says before the communicator cuts off with an sharp beep.  Derek sighs and turns his attention to Liam, who is clutching his side.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.  You should probably get looked at.  It’s not often you get knocked around like that.”  Derek says, doing his best to maintain a calm, if not disappointed expression on his face.  It works and Liam sighs in disappointment.

“Yeah, alright, that sounds like a good idea.  I’ll go check in with Mason, I guess.”  Liam says, taking off his helmet.  He peels himself out of his armor, which conveniently forms into a drawstring bag.  Derek does the same and the two jog out of the alleyway, looking completely anonymous in the bustling city of Beacon Hills.  Neither of them noticed the pale-skinned young man glancing at them from across the street, using his powers to sense their frustration and anger. 

Stiles glances towards the alley where he left the Hale Tech employee, debating on going back.  But he decides against it, knowing the superhero team he just escaped will probably be monitoring it.  Plus, he has no desire to draw on anymore of the Nogistune’s power for at least a couple of hours.  Even now, the world around him is muted.  All of the colors aren’t nearly as bright nor the sounds as loud.  He needs to get back to his hotel room.  Soon.

-

Melissa sighs as she glances down at her watch for the umpteenth time that day.  Ever since Scott’s visit, every day has gone by painfully slow as she counts down the hours so she can go home and possibly see her son.  The hospital, usually a welcome source of distraction, is now just a pain in the neck and overall nuisance. 

“Mrs. McCall?”  A voice asks loudly, causing Melissa to jump. The young man behind her holds his hands up defensively with a sheepish smile on his face.

“Sorry, Mrs. McCall,” the young man says.  Melissa recognizes him as Mohammed, a new nurse fresh out of school and one of the few such nurses that Melissa actually likes.  Most of the kids out of nursing school tend to be arrogant and self-absorbed, but Mohammed reminds Melissa of Scott.

“It’s no problem, Mohammed.  What’s up?” She asks, focusing on the young man before her.  Mohammed’s smile drops and he leans in close.

“Um, I just wanted to let you know that Dr. Lynch asked for you.  Apparently one of your patients has been asking about you all day.”  A sense of dread fills Melissa.  There is no Dr. Lynch at Beacon Hills Medical Center.  It’s a code and a patient asking for Melissa means someone has been stalking Melissa.  She knows better than to look around and rouse suspicion.  Instead, she smiles at Mohammed.

“Alright, no problem.  I’ll head to the front desk and see which patient.  Thank you so much Mohammed.” Melissa says before heading towards the front desk.  Mohammed watches her for a bit and then follows close behind.  Melissa can’t help hide her smile at how similar Mohammed was to Scott.

“Um, since I’m going that way too, I have a couple of questions.”  Mohammed says, presumably as a cover since he’s one of the best nurses Melissa knows.  She sees through the rouse, but humors him anyway, knowing he’s trying to keep her safe.

The two make their way to the information desk, with Mohammed asking Melissa surprisingly insightful and tough questions and she made a mental note of which questions she would have to come back to him for once she found the answer.  Once the information desk was in sight, Mohammed bid his farewell.

“Hey, Karen?” Melissa asks the girl at the information desk.  The bottle-blonde perks up and smiles.  Melissa remembers when Karen first started and marvels at how much the girl has changed in the past four years.

“Yes ma’am, Melissa?” She asks.

“Dr. Lynch apparently asked for me?  Something about a patient asking for me?”  Melissa says.  Karen’s eyes go wide and she immediately reaches underneath her desk.  When she comes up, the smile on her face is too wide to be believable, but Melissa doesn’t comment on it.

“Yes ma’am.  Dr. Lynch says the patient is due for this much morphine.  Be careful!”  Karen sighs, her voice just too high.  Melissa gives her a sweet smile.

“Thanks, hon.  I’ll see you later.”  As she turns around to continue her rounds, Melissa keeps an eye out for anyone suspicious.  She’s near the waiting room, so everyone is a potential subject, but as she gets further away, she notices someone keeps popping up.  He’s a young man, no older than Scott or Mohammed, and not at all unattractive.  He has dark brown eyes and is wearing more layers than is probably necessary in a hospital.  Melissa pays him no more attention and continues meeting with her patients. Finally, one of the hospital security guards finds her.

“Hey Mel, you okay?”  He asks. 

“Yeah Roger, I’m doing good.  That patient hasn’t gotten his medicine yet, but he hasn’t asked about me again yet either.”  She says.  Roger, a tall, rather gangly man, nods in response.

“Alright, Roger that.”  He says with a smirk. Melissa snorts at the terrible pun.  The two of them are leaving the in-patient housing.  Most of the individuals in this wing were terminal patients, living out the ends of their lives.  Melissa hates being here, but keeps a gentle and caring expression on her face as she meets all of the patients.  Roger escorts her through the wing and into the fire escape, so he can lead her to the parking lot and Melissa can go home. 

“Um, ma’am?”  A voice calls out.  Melissa and Roger turn to see Melissa’s stalker.  He’s short and surprisingly handsome, even more so than Melissa thought at first.  Roger steps in front of Melissa.

“You need something bro?”  He asks menacingly.  The boy rolls his eyes, clearly more annoyed with the situation than anything else.

“Yeah, actually.  Some pretty bad guys are on their way here. We need to get her out of here.”  The boy says.  As if on cue, the sound of hard footsteps echoes through the stairwell.  Melissa turns to see a small army, all with police batons and dressed in civilian clothes.

“Who the hell-?” Roger asks as he adjusts his position so that he’s between Melissa and the army.  Melissa screams when one of the mercenaries mercilessly takes out Roger.  When Melissa crawls up the stairs, the boy lunges forward into the crowd.  He starts off well when, the numbers game begins to catch up on him.

“Hey kid, there’s too many!  Come on!”  Melissa calls, opening the door into the in-patient wing.  The boy looks up and then, a figure jumps down in front of Melissa. 

“Scott?” She asks in disbelief.  He doesn’t turn around, but Melissa knows her son anywhere.  And she can feel the rage emanating from him.  It feels like a vibration going through her entire body.  Scott jumps down the stairs and joins her stalker in taking on the mercenary.  The two work together like a well-oiled machine.  Each one of Scott’s movements leads so gracefully into the stalker’s that it’s almost like art.  After an almost comically short time, all of the mercenaries are downed.

“Scott, I-“ But Melissa stops when Scott pulls a gun from one of the mercenaries and fires a round into the stalker’s leg. 

“Fucking dammit!!” The latter shouts as he  does down to one leg.  Scott quickly ascends the steps so that he’s standing in front of his mother, gun trained on the stalker.

“Scott stop!  He helped me!”  Melissa says as she attempts to wrestle the gun from Scott’s hand.  Scott doesn’t let go, but he does lower the gun.  Melissa catches a glimpse of her son’s face and she’s never seen such fury on Scott before.  The stalker is taking deep breaths as he slowly gets up.

“Theo, if you _ever_ come near my mom again, it _will_ be a headshot.”  Scott growls. The stalker, Theo, locks eyes with Scott as he pulls the bullet from his leg.  His expression is difficult to place.  But, more than anything, Melissa realizes he looks sad.  Without a word, Theo descends down the steps.

“Scott!  What the hell was that?” Melissa demands, pushing on Scott’s shoulder so that he turns around to face her.  Scott’s expression is even more difficult to read.

“Mom,” he says, his expression deadly serious.   “Don’t trust Theo.  He’s always playing an angle, always working some emotion you don’t even know you’re feeling.  Whatever he says, whatever he does, don’t trust him.”  Scott says. 

“Why not, Scott?  What has he done that’s so bad I can’t trust someone who tried to save my life?”  Melissa asks.  She’s angry now.  She’s mad at Scott’s mysteriousness, his uncharacteristic use of a gun, the entire situation.  All she wants now is answers.  And Scott’s expression makes it clear, he won’t give her any.

“Just,” for a second, Scott looks as if he’s going to say something.  It’s the same face he used to have when he admitted to failing a test, or the first time he had sex or when he came out as bisexual.  As if he’s scared to admit something he knows Melissa won’t hate him for, but he’s afraid nonetheless.

“Just trust me, Mom.  Theo can’t be trusted.”  Scott says.  And Melissa sees so much pain in her son’s eyes, she’s crushed.  With that, Scott descends the stairs and leans down to touch Roger’s shoulder.  The security begins to stir.  Scott shares one last look with his mom and then leaps down over the railing to disappear. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, so I know a lot of you were excited about the Sceo, so I'm sure this chapter is a bit worrisome. Trust me, Scott's reaction to Theo will be explained and Theo will redeem himself in Scott's eyes. Everything's a lot more complicated than it seems. Thanks for reading!


End file.
